


Daytrip

by orphan_account



Category: Free!
Genre: Friendship, Future Fic, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-21
Updated: 2013-12-21
Packaged: 2018-01-05 10:48:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1092983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Makoto, Haru, Rin, and Kou spend an afternoon in a museum. Some things are familiar, while others have changed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Daytrip

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Phosphorite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phosphorite/gifts).



> I was kind of nervous to be writing fic for phosphorite, because I love your meta a lot and you are a great part of free! Fandom. So I hope you enjoy this, even though it somehow turned more into a character study of Makoto than anything else. :)

Even after six months, Makoto feels small when he walks through the city. He may stand at least a head above most people in the crowd around him, but his height means nothing to skyscrapers or subway trains. And unlike Iwatobi, Tokyo never stops moving, never slows. It pulls him from his apartment to the train station, to the street across from the museum where he glances around nervously, unsure of where to go next.

“Makoto!”

A hand raises above the crowd, waving back and forth. Makoto weaves through the crowd until he finds himself standing in front of Haru, Rin, and Kou.

“You're late,” Rin says, arms crossed.

“I got a bit lost,” Makoto admits. “I've never been to this part of the city before.”

“It's fine,” Haru says. “We're all here now. Let's go.”

He turns and starts up the steps towards the museum's entrance. Rin rolls his eyes but turns quickly to follow him, nagging at Haru for his rudeness.

“It's good to see you,” Kou says to Makoto, smiling brightly.

“You too,” Makoto says. “I'm really glad we were all able to meet up today.”

And while he is not lying, he isn't telling the entire truth either. Seeing Kou, Haru, all of them – it reminds him of Iwatobi and makes his stomach feels heavy with homesickness. He's enjoying his program and making new friends, but he can't help longing for all of things he used to take for granted, things that are now far away from him. He misses the openness of the sky in Iwatobi and the stray cats that populated its streets. He misses Ren and Ran. He misses being captain of the Iwatobi High Swim Team. He misses when Haru's house was just a stone's throw away. Without these things, he feels a little less sure of who he is. He feels unsteady, or unsettled, something like that.

Adrift. Maybe that's the word.

“Thank you for coming,” Haru says while he and Makoto stand in the sunlit lobby, waiting for Rin and Kou to buy tickets.

“It's no problem,” Makoto replies. “A break could do me some good anyway. Plus we're all so busy, it's been a while since I've seen any of you. How have you been?”

“Fine,” Haru says.

“And Rin?”

Haru tilts his head, thinking a moment before answering.

“Like I said before, he's been stressed.”

“You seem worried.”

“I am,” Haru admits, voice softening. “I don't like seeing him unhappy.”

Their trip to the museum was Haru's idea, though Makoto has been asked to keep it a secret. Qualifying time trials are coming up, Haru had explained over the phone earlier in the week, and Rin was letting the pressure get to him. He needed a break, something to keep him from obsessing over his races. A day out somewhere with friends, that was what Haru wanted for him, and Makoto more than willing to help make it happen. Nagisa and Rei had been invited too, but neither of them had the time to come to the city for a day, so in the end it was just the four of them.

“We got the tickets!” Kou announces as they return. She doles them out cheerfully. “Where are we going to go? There's a special exhibit with dinosaurs on the third floor that we should definitely check out.”

“Dinosaurs first then,” Haru says. He takes Rin by the sleeve, leading him off towards the elevators.

Even though they aren't as brazen as to hold hands in public, Rin and Haru still have a tendency to stay close to each other, hovering constantly in each other's physical space. Knowing what he knows, Makoto is able to see the significance of small gestures: Rin's fingers hooked on one of Haru's belt loops, Haru watching Rin attentively as he studies the displays. Many things have changed in the past few years, but between Rin and Haru, most of those changes seem to have been for the better.

While they stroll through the exhibits, Kou chats with Makoto about the continuing successes of Iwatobi High's swim team. The relay mishap of two years ago has given the club a certain level of infamy, and every year its membership grows. As a manager, Kou has her hands full with training regimens, pool maintenance, and nutrition schemes.

“I'm impressed,” Makoto says. “I didn't think our little swim team would get so popular.”

“Neither did I! It's definitely fun, but it's so busy that I sometimes wish it was just the five of us again. I miss you, and Haru. And Onii-chan of course. Oh, that reminds me, I brought some cake for all of you for later,” Kou tells him. “Not homemade, I didn't have enough time, but I thought a special occasion like this deserved a treat.”

“Sounds delicious,” Makoto says, slowing his steps so he doesn't bump into Rin and Haru, who have stopped in front of a display. Makoto's eyes can only widen as he looks up. The four of them have paused in front of a large skeleton of what Makoto can only guess is a giant prehistoric shark. Its jaws are open wide, showing off its massive teeth.

Kou giggles, looking from Rin to the shark and back again.

“Don't you dare make a joke,” Rin says. “I'll disown you.”

“I don't think you can do that, Onii-chan,” Kou teases.

“I'll find a way.”

“Don't worry,” Haru says to Kou. “If he disowns you, you can be my sister instead.”

“Haru!” Rin yelps.

“Haru's already halfway to being my brother-in-law anyway,” Kou says.

“That's true,” Haru agrees.

Rin's face has gone bright red; he splutters but can't seem to find a retort. Makoto tries not to laugh, but he can't help himself. His laughter rings loud and clear, and is soon joined by Kou's giggles. It hurts his stomach, but it feels great to laugh so carelessly. In the back of his mind, Makoto quietly realizes it's been some time since he's been able to laugh in such a way.

After two hours in the museum, the four of them retreat to the cafeteria for lunch and some of the cake that Kou has promised. Haru pulls a sketchbook out of his bag and starts to draw while the others eat and chat. He is left undisturbed until curiosity seems to get the better of Rin, who has been trying to steal glances at the sketchbook all along.

“Let me see,” Rin says, leaning over to peek at Haru's drawings.

“Later,” Haru says, angling the sketchbook away.

“Oh, I want to see too!” Kou says. “Please?”

“What about you, Makoto?” Rin asks.

Makoto suddenly finds himself being stared down by three separate pairs of eyes.

“Um, I'd like to see them as well, I guess.”

“That's three against one,” Rin says. “We win.”

Haru sighs, allowing Rin to pull the sketchbook from his hands. Rin puts it down on the table and flips through the pages. There are buildings and plants, bodies and faces, all placed messily across the pages. Makoto had seen Haru's artwork during high school, and even encouraged Haru to apply to college for art and design, but these drawings have a life to them that is all new.

“They make him do all these for class,” Rin explains. “It's kind of annoying, actually, how much time he spends on them. Cuts into our swimming time.”

“Sounds like a lot of work,” Kou says.

Rin snorts. “Everything is a lot of work once you stop being a lazy high-schooler and have to deal with the real world.”

“I am not a lazy high-schooler!”

“These are great, Haru,” Makoto says, ignoring Rin and Kou's squabble.

Haru shrugs. “They're just sketches.”

“Yeah, but- well, I don't know much about art, but I really like these.” Makoto pulls the sketchbook closer to peer at the details.

“Thank you,” Haru says, and he seems to mean it.

When Makoto looks up, Haru is smiling at him in the soft way he does.

“Are you feeling better?” Haru asks.

Feeling better? Makoto searches his memory, trying to remember when he had been feeling badly. He gets lonely, of course, and stressed out the anyone does, but he can't recall mentioning it to Haru. Not that he would have to, Makoto realizes. Their friendship has never been one-sided; Haru has always had a way of seeing beneath Makoto's front of cheerfulness, straight into the darker parts of him. To Haru, the loneliness and confusion that Makoto has had shored up inside of himself for the past several months must have been obvious, even from a distance.

Makoto wants to apologize, but he knows that Haru would never accept it. Maybe a thank you would be more appropriate, but Haru wouldn't want that either. Not for something that is so essential and natural to their friendship.

“I think I am,” Makoto answers. “Feeling better, I mean. Mostly.”

And this time it is the entire truth.

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes additional info to explain the scenario that didn't really fit in the fic: Makoto, Rin and Haru are all in their first year of university in Tokyo. Rin and Haruka attend the same school and live near each other, but Makoto is at a different school and lives farther away.


End file.
